Many buildings include a plurality of upstanding walls covered by a roof. The roof is typically downward sloping and covered by a plurality of shingles. The section of the wall near the roof is often covered by a fascia strip for protection and also to allow installation of a gutter to collect water and other debris that rolls off of the roof.
A disadvantage of such roof constructions is that water often seeps between the gutter inner wall and the fascia strip, causing rot and deterioration of the fascia strip. Moreover, in some types of construction, water can seep between the fascia and the side wall of the building, causing even more extensive damage. Water can also seep in between the roof shingles and the roof boards, causing rot and deterioration of these structural elements.
In an attempt to ameliorate these problems, drip edges are sometimes installed. A simple drip edge may be a planar sheet of plastic or metal inserted between the shingles and the roof which extends out over the edge of the roof, at the same downward slope as the roof. In this way, the water and other debris from the roof is directed away from the building. Commonly, the water and other debris is directed into a gutter.
More elaborate drip edges have been developed such as, for example, those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,254,594 to Hammond et al., U.S. Pat. No. 2,943,421 to Squires, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,170,597 to Stearns. Each of these drip edges includes a planar portion for inserting under the roof shingles to attach the drip edge to the roof. In each drip edge, the outside edge folds back on itself to form an outward jutting edge. Rain and debris are deflected away from the building with this outward jutting edge. Each drip edge also includes a leg portion extending downward from the folded portion. The leg portion is meant to extend into a gutter and function to keep water away from the fascia.
The prior art assemblies are designed to be installed on bare fascia and roof. In other words, any previously existing installed drip edge or gutter must be removed before the new drip edge can be installed. Moreover, the leg portions that extend into the gutter are inflexible. In such a design, the gutter must be positioned a particular distance below the drip edge, which also limits the ability to retrofit the drip edge assembly.
An object of the invention is to provide a roof drip edge to prevent the entry of water between the gutter and building fascia.
Another object of the invention is to provide a roof drip edge that can be installed over an existing drip edge.